Connector assemblies for use with substrates, including printed circuit boards are known in the industry. The connector assembly customarily includes a plurality of contacts arranged in some manner such that upon mating to the printed circuit board electrical continuity is effectively established between the connector contacts and conducting paths or strips defined in the board. Usually, these contacts are spring loaded or otherwise resiliently pressed against the printed circuit board so that an appropriate contact force is developed to hold the board and connector together as a composite unit. Further, the force developed must be of such magnitude to insure that a sufficient low resistance connection is established and maintained between the printed circuit board conductive strips or paths and the resilient contacts of the connector itself.
However, prior to the connector being fully inserted into the substrate, the connector must be properly positioned in alignment with the openings of the substrate and maintained in position until sufficient force is provided to fully insert the connector on the substrate. Therefore, in order to prevent bending of the contact or other failures of the connector, the connector, with the contacts protruding there from, must be able to be properly positioned and maintained in position prior to insertion.
It would, therefore, be beneficial to provide an electrical connector which can be positioned on a substrate and be maintained in proper and stable position prior to the contacts being fully inserted into the openings of the substrate, even in instances in which only one row of contacts are provided. It would also be beneficial to provide a connector which has stabilization members which can move between a first position in which the stabilization members cooperate with a substrate to maintain the stability of the connector relative to the substrate and a second position in which the stabilization members allow the insertion of the connector onto the substrate.